How the numbers work

We think you should be able to see how Wolcottarrives at what it tells you to eat. This page explains the method in plain language: what computes your numbers, what those numbers are based on, and exactly where AI is — and isn’t — involved.

Two layers, kept separate

Wolcott is built in two distinct parts. A nutrition engine decides what your body needs. A separate commerce layer turns that into real meals and a grocery list. The engine never knows about stores or brands, and the shopping layer never changes your nutrition targets. That separation is deliberate — it keeps the health-relevant math clean.

The engine is deterministic

Your targets are produced by a rule-based engine, not a chatbot. Given the same inputs — your profile, your training week, your goals — it returns the same numbers every time. Energy, protein, carbohydrate, fat, hydration, and meal timing are each computed by their own module and then checked so the per-meal totals reconcile with the daily total. Nothing is improvised.

What it’s based on

The rules come from published sports-nutrition guidance — the kind used by practitioners for energy availability, protein targets per kilogram of bodyweight, carbohydrate periodization around training load, and peri-workout timing. Recommendations scale with the demands of your week: a heavy lifting day, a long run, a double session, and a rest day are fueled differently on purpose.

Where AI is used — and where it isn’t

AI does two specific jobs: it reads the training you upload (turning a screenshot or PDF into a structured schedule), and it describes meals that hit the targets the engine already set — naming dishes, writing portions, suggesting swaps. AI does notdecide your calories or macros. Those are the engine’s numbers, and a guard rejects any meal text that drifts from them before it reaches you.

Confidence, and knowing its limits

The engine reports how confident it is, and it’s built to refer out rather than guess. Inputs that suggest a clinical or specialized need — for example, patterns associated with disordered eating, pregnancy, or medical conditions — trigger a recommendation to work with a qualified professional instead of relying on an automated plan.

What’s an estimate

Some numbers are honest estimates, and we label them as such. Calorie, macro, and hydration figures are general targets, not clinical prescriptions. Grocery prices shown today are modeled estimates based on typical retail pricing, not live prices from each store — live store-level pricing is something we’re building, and until it ships those figures are clearly marked as estimates.

Still improving

Wolcottis early and evolving. We intend to keep refining the rule set alongside qualified sports-nutrition professionals, and we’ll update this page as the method changes. If you spot something that looks off, tell us — we’d rather hear it.

Not medical advice

Wolcott provides general educational nutrition planning for recreationally active adults. It does not diagnose, treat, or prevent any condition and is not a substitute for individualized medical or dietetic care. See our Nutrition Disclaimer for the full scope.